Apparatus for gauging articles and rejecting defective ware



June 6, 1961 G, H, ALLGEYER ETAL 2,987,179

APPARATUS FOR GAUGING ARTICLES AND REJECTING DEFECTIVE WARE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 16, 1956 NvENToRs .EHRL

ATTORNEYS June 6, 1961 G. H. ALLGEYER ErAL 2,98

APPARATUS FOR GAUGING ARTICLES AND REJECTING DEFECTIVE WARE Filed April 16, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet ZES EL June 6, 1961 G. H. ALLGEYER ETAL 2,987,179

APPARATUS FOR GAUGING ARTICLES AND REJECTING DEFECTIVE WARE Filed April 16, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 vl lnnnnl INVENTORS IALL @EYER I B. .SORBIE ATTORNEY June 6, 1961 G. H.v ALLGE-YER Erm. 2,987,179

APPARATUS RoR GAUGING ARTICLES AND REJECTING DEFEcTIvE WARE Filed April 16, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ahh.

INVENTORS HHLLGE'YEK IgE.. S ORBIE BY' .EARLY ATTQRNEZ"i June 6, 1961 G. H. ALLGEYER ETAL 2,987,179

APPARATUS RoR GAUGING ARTICLES AND REJECTING DEFECTIVE WARE Filed April 1e, 195e A e sheets-sheet 5 :NvEN-rons GJLALLQSYBR T.B5ORBIE KLEARLY ATTORNEY June 6, 1961 G. H. ALLGEYER ETAL APPARATUS FOR GAUGING ARTICLES AND REJECTING DEFECTIVE WARE Filed April 16, 1956 ATTORNE APPARATUS FOR GAUGING ARTICLES AND REJECTING DEFECTIVE WARE Guy H. Allgeyer, Richard L. Early and Thomas B.

Sorbie, Toledo, Ohio, assignors to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 16, 1956, Ser. No. 578,241

11 Claims. (Cl. 209-73) Our invention relates to methods and apparatus for gauging or testing various articles as to dimensions, shape, or other characteristics and automatically segregating and rejecting defective articles. The invention in the form herein illustrated and described in detail is particularly adapted for gauging or testing the neck openings of bottles or other containers. When such containers are to be illed with a commodity, which may be in liquid form, it is common practice in filling the containers, to introduce a filling tube into the neck of the container, the filling material then being run through the filling tube into the container.

The present invention provides an apparatus including a traveling belt conveyor by which the containers to be gauged are brought in succession to a gauging station where a gauging plug is moved downward into the neck opening of the container. lf the neck opening is defective as, for example, of too restricted diameter to admit the filling tube, or of abnormal shape which would prevent the free entrance of the filling tube, the article is automatically rejected or segregated from the articles which pass the test.

The apparatus comprises a spirally threaded shaft, herein referred to as the feed worm, extending along a belt conveyor and serving as a feeding device by which the articles are uniformly spaced as they are brought to the gauging station. This screw feeding device is driven by a continuously operating electric motor having driving connection with the feed worm through step-cone V-belt pulleys which are relatively adjustable for adjustably varying the speed of the feed worm.

The gauging means includes a gauging plug carried on a vertical shaft moved up and down by an air cylinder for moving the plug into and out of the neck of a container which is momentarily arrested at the gauging station. If the neck opening of the container is too small or otherwise defective so as to interfere with the free movement of the gauging plug therethrough, an electronic detecting device is actuated to effect the operation of the ejector mechanism. The latter comprises an air operated cylinder or piston motor with a pusher bar attached to the motor piston. When the motor operates, the pusher bar is moved across the belt conveyor, the operation being timed to push the defective article off the conveyor. The invention provides a novel form of detecting device for controlling the operation of the ejector mechanism as hereinafter described in detail.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of the invention as used for gauging bottles or like containers:

FIG. l is a plan view of the apparatus;

FIG, 2 is an elevational View of a portion of the apparatus, showing particularly the motor and variable speed driving mechanism for driving the feed worm;

FIG. 3 is a section at the line 3 3 on FIG. 2, showing a cam on the worm shaft for controlling the operation of the gauging unit;

FIG. 4 is a part sectional elevation showing the gauging plug and its operating cylinder, the gauging plug being in its retracted position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the "arent O 'W Patented June 6, 1961 gauging plug lowered into the bottle which is under test;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 but showing the gauging plug arrested at an inter-mediate position by a container with a malformed neck opening;

FIG. 7 is a sectional plan view at the line 7--7 on FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view illustrating means for adjusting the angular position of the screw conveyor;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view showing particularly the ejector mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a cross section at the line 'l0-10 on FIG. 9, showing the ejector cylinder and associated parts;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic View of the pneumatic system, including the air motors for operating the gauging and ejector mechanisms, and electrical control devices for the motors; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram of the electronic detecting and control system.

Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus includes, in `general terms, a continuously traveling belt conveyor 15 by which containers 16, herein shown as narrow neck bottles, are brought in succession to a gauging station 17; a feed worm 18 by which the articles are positively and uniformly spaced apart as they are brought to the gauging station; a gauging mechanism including a piston motor 49 (FIGS. 4 to 6), and a gauging plug 21 operated thereby; an ejector mechanism (FIGS. 1, 9, and 10) including an air operated ejector cylinder or motor 25, and a pusher bar 26 operated thereby for pushing defective ware olf the belt conveyor; and an electrical detecting and control system including means brought into activity when the gauge indicates a defective article and controlling the operation of the ejector cylinder 25.

A detailed description of the apparatus and its mode of operation will now be given. The bottles 16 (FIG. 1), which may be non-uniformly spaced on the conveyor -15 or may be in contact with each other as shown, are uniformly spaced apart by the feed worm 18 as the bottles approach the gauging station 17. The feed worm 18 is continuously rotated about its axis by a constant speed electric gear-motor M, the feed worm making one complete rotation during each gauging operation. The feed worm 18 is carried on a shaft 28 journalled in bearings 29 on a supporting frame or base 30. The shaft 28 and worm 18 are approximately parallel with the conveyor belt 15 and are spaced a short distance above the belt conveyor. The bottles 16 pass between the feed worm 18 and a guide rail 31 by which the bottles are held in contact with the worm. The guide rail is adjustable for cooperation with articles of different diameters and held in adjusted position by clamping screws 32.

A speed changing means, which provides driving connections between the motor and the worm 18, includes a 3-step V-groove pulley 33 mounted on the output shaft of the motor, a 3-step V-groove pulley 34 on the shaft 28 and a driving belt 35. The pulley 34 Iis adjustable lengthwise of the shaft 28, permitting each groove of the driven pulley to be aligned with any desired groove of the driving pulley. This permits nine different combinations so that the worm conveyor may be driven at any selected one of nine different speeds. A speed chart may be provided for indicating, for example, in r.p.m. the speed of the feed worm for any such combination.

The feed worm shaft 28 has a screw-threaded section 282- threaded into the feed worm 18, permitting adjustment of the latter lengthwise of the shaft. A stop plate 38 (FIGS. 4 and 5.) is attached to the shaft 28 at the forward end of the feed worm 18 in position to arrest momentarily each bottle 16 at the gauging station. YThe stop plate is in the form of a sector or wing extending radially from the shaft and moved into and out of the path of the bottles by the rotation of the feed worm.

The base plate 30 on which the feed worm drive unit is mounted, is rotatably Vadjustable about the vertical axis of pivot post 39 which has a stationary mounting on the main frame 142 of the apparatus. The base plate 30 is formed with a cylindrical bearing member 40 through which the pivot 39 extends (FIG. 8). The unit is adjustable by means of an adjusting bolt 41 threaded into the frame `42. A stop screw 43 is threaded through the frame 30 and bears against the frame 42. This adjusting mechanism permits the feed worm 18 to be adjusted laterally to correspond to the size or shape of the articles 16 which are being gauged. The motor M is mounted for -adjustment about the axis of a pivot rod 44 having bearings in the base 30, thereby providing a tension and take-up means for the driving belt 35.

vThe gauging mechanism, FIGS. 4 to 7, comprises a gauging element in the form of a rod or plug 21 which may have a screw-threaded connection 21a with a vertical rod 48. This construction permits plugs of different size to be selectively attached to the rod 48. The rod 48 is moved up and down by the air operated piston motor 49 comprising a vertical cylinder 50, a piston 51 and a tubular piston rod 52. The cylinder 50 is attached to an arm 53 having a split bearing sleeve 54 by which it is clamped to the upper end portion of a vertical stationary tubular column 55.

A stroke gauge 57 comprising telescoping parts, namely, a vertical rod 56 and a tubular rod or sleeve 5S, is mounted for up-and-down movement with the piston rod S2. The rod 56 has a fixed connection with the pistou rod 52 through a connecting bar 56a attached to the lower ends of the rods 52 and 56. The sleeve 58 carries a gauging rod 48, being connected thereto by a cross bar 59. The rod 48 extends freely through the tubular piston rod 52. A collar 70 clamped to the upper end of the piston rod 52 provides a stop to limit downward movement o the cross bar 59 and sleeve 58 relative to the piston rod. The collar 70 lalso serves to lift the sleeve 58 as a unit with its telescoping rod S6 when the piston rod is moved upward from its lowered position (FIG. to its uppermost position (FIG. 4) during its operation in testing normal bottles. If a defective bottle arrests the gauge plug at an intermediate position during the down stroke of the plunger, as shown in FIG. 6, the sleeve 58 is also arrested while the telescopin g rod 56 continues its downward movement with the plunger.

A stop rod 60 attached to the cylinder 50 extends upwardly therefrom through an opening in the bar 59 and has threaded thereon a stop nut 61 which may be adjusted up and down for adjusting the upper stop position of the motor piston. Soft iron armatures 63 and 64 are mounted respectively on' the rod 56 and sleeve 58 of the stroke gauge. The armature 64 is threaded on the sleeve for vertical adjustment. The armature 63 is adjustable up and down on the rod 56 and held in adjusted position by a set screw 63a (the latter shown on FIG. 5). The armatures are brought respectively into juxtaposition to a magnetic pick-up device 65 at the normal upper and lower limits of movement of the gauge carrying rod `48. The armatures are so adjusted that they just reach the pole piece 66 of the pick-up device at the limit of their movement and thereby induce a voltage pulse in the pick-up winding. This serves as hereafter described to control the operation of the ejector mechanism. The gauge plug 21 'is movable downward through an opening in a guide plate 67 attached to an arm 68 formed with a split bearing surrounding the column 55 and adjustable up and down thereon. It is held 'in adjusted position by a clamping screw 69.

When the motor piston is moved upward from its lowered position (FIG. 5) to its upper position (FIG. 4) the collar 70 on the piston rod pushes the tie bar 59 upwardly thereby withdrawing the attached gauging rod and plug upward to the retracted position (FIG. 4). This upward movement of the piston and piston rod also carries the stroke gauge 57 upwardly, bringing the armature 63 up to the pole piece 66 of the magnetic pick-up device 65. The gauge plug 21 in its retracted position permits the bottle 16 to be moved into line therewith. When the motor piston and piston rod are moved downward the gauge plug enters the bottle 16 (FIG. 5), the rod 48 being moved downward by gravity, without relative movement of the rod 48 and piston. This brings the parts to the FIG. 5 position in which the upper armature 64 is opposite the magnetic pick up 65.

If the workpiece 16 which is under test has a restricted neck opening or a deformity, as shown at 71 (FIG. 6), which prevents the gauging plug completing its downward Imovement with the lmotor piston, the sleeve 58 carrying the armature 64 will also be arrested, preventing it from moving downward to operative position opposite the pick up 65. This operates through the electronic control as hereinafter described to effect the operation of the ejector motor 25 for ejecting the defective bottle.

The periodic yoperation of the gauging motor 49 is controlled by a cam 75 mounted on the shaft Z8 (FIGS. 1, 3, and 1l). The cam during each rotation of the shaft operates a four-way valve 76 through a cam follower roll 77 attached to the valve stem. Air under pressure for operating the pistou motors is supplied from a pressure tank 78, FIG. 2. An air pressure line extending from the tank to the valve 76 includes a pipe 79 extending to a distributing valve 80 and a pipe 811 extending from said valve to the valve 76. From the valve 76 air pressure lines 82 and 83 (FIG. 1l) extend respectively to the upper and lower ends of the gauging cylinder 50. The lines extend through speed control valves 84 and 85 (FIG. 7).

The reject mechanism by which .the defective bottles are segregated from those which pass the test will now be described. Referring to FIGS. 1, 9, and l0, this mechanism includes the ejector motor 25 comprising a horizontal cylinder S8 mounted perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt 15. The pusher bar 26 is attached to forward end of the piston rod S9. The motor cylinder is mounted by means of angle plates bolted to a.V slide plate 91 for adjustment of the cylinder lengthwise. The slide plate is slidably mounted in a bracket `92 4and clamped in adjusted position by a clamping bolt 93. The bracket 92 is mounted on the frame 94 of the conveyor 15 and adjustable lengthwise thereof and is clamped in position by clamping bolts 95 extending through elongated slots 96 in the frame 94. This mounting permits adjustment of the ejector motor horizontally in 'the direction of travel of the belt conveyor.

The 4air for operating the motor 25 is supplied from the tank 78 (FIG. 2) through an air pressure line including the pipe 79, distributing valve S0, and a pipe 98 (FIGS. 2 and 9). The'pipe 98 extends to a distributing head 99. The pressure line is extended through `head 99, pipe 100, solenoid 'valve V6, pipe 101 and pressure regulating valve 162 through which pressure is supplied behind the motor piston. Air pressure for retracting 'the pusher bar 26 is supplied vthrough the head 99', a pipe 103, solenoid valve V7, pipe 104, and pressure regulating valve :105.

A microswitch 106 is mounted on the slide plate 91 adjacent the forward end of the motor cylinder 88. A flat rod V107 extending parallel with the cylinder 88 is attached at its forward end to the pusher bar 26. A switch operating head 108 is mounted on the rod `10'7 and is adjustable lengthwise of the rod. The head 108 is formed with an inclined surface 109 which when the pusher bar 26 moves forward, engages -a switchoperating element 110 and opens a normally closed microswitch 106. This reverses the motor 25 as hereinafter described.

Referring to the wiring diagram (FIG. 12) an alternating current voltage is supplied through mains 1, 2 to transformers T1 and T2. Transmission from the secondary 112 ofthe transformer T1 is through a full wave rectifier `113. The secondary 114 of the transformer T2 supplies a voltage to -a rectifier 115.

The electronic detecting device comprising the stroke gauge 57 -is of the no-signal type. The two soft iron armatures 63 and 64 are adjusted as Iabove noted so that each one just reaches the pole piece `66 of the magnetic pick up 65 at the end of the corresponding piston stroke of the gauging cylinder. When either armature reaches the pole piece a direct current voltage pulse is induced in the pick-up winding 65. When the armature leaves the pole piece, a voltage pulse of the opposite polarity is generated. The positive side of this last mentioned voltage pulse is fed through a lead 116 and ground wire 117 to the cathode 118 of the left half of la tube V2. The negative side of the coil 65 is connected through lead 119 to the control grid i120. Since the tube is normally at zero bias, the negative pulse on its grid causes its plate voltage to rise. Thus, the left half of tube V2 functions as an ampliiier. This rise in plate voltage is transmitted from the plate 122 through a condenser C5 to the grid 123 of a Thyratron Tube V3. 'I'his tube functions as a grid-controlled, relaxation oscillator. Tube V3 is normally cut off, but the positive voltage pulse applied to its grid causes the tube to conduct current, thus charging a condenser C6 to the difference between the plate voltage of tube V3 and its extinguishing voltage. At this point the tube V3 is cut off and condenser C6 starts to discharge through the resistors R9 and R15. The voltage across the condenser C6 is a negative bias on the right half of tube V2; therefore the higher it is the lower will be the plate current through the right half of the tube V2. This plate current of the right half of tube V2 is carried by a resistor R7 which is in the grid to cathode circuit of a Thyratron V4. The right half of tube V2 therefore functions as a cathode follower. The voltage drop across the resistor R7 is opposed in polarity to that across a resistor R8, which is also in the cathode to grid circuit of the Thyratron V4 and will normally keep it cut off. The voltage across the resistor R8 is obtained by voltage division from transformer coil 114 and rectifier 115. A voltage regulator tube V5 is connected between ground wire 117 and lead 1-171. If the voltage drop across resistor R7 rises to within 4 or 5 volts of that across resistor R8, the tube V4 will lire, and close a relay 131.

The plate circuit of the tube V4 extends from the plate 113a through lead 119, normally closed switch 106, coil 130 of the relay 131 and Voltage regulator V8. The relay 131 comprises normally open contacts 132 and 133. The contact bar 132 is in circuit with the winding 1'3-4 of the valve V7. The contact bar 133 is in circuit with the coil 135 of the valve V6. When the relay 131 is energized and moves the contact bars `132, 133 to closed position, the valve V6 operates to move its piston 136 to the left, thereby opening the pressure line 100 to the pipe 101; also the Valve V7 opens the pipe 104 to the exhaust port 140, so that the ejector motor 25 operates to project the pusher bar 26 and pushes a defective bottle off the conveyor.

As the pusher bar completes its stroke the contact operating member 168 opens the normally closed switch 106, thereby deenergizing the relay coil 130 so that the contact bars 132, 133 move to open position, deenergizing the coils 134, 135. The valve piston 136 is accordingly returned to the position shown, thereby opening the pipe 101 to exhaust and cutting off the pressure. At the same time the piston 138 of valve V7 will be returned to the position shown, thereby opening the pipe 1194 to the pressure line 103 and cutting oft" the exhaust 140 so that the motor 25 operates to return the pusher bar 26 to its retracted position.

As long as good bottles are being gauged, and the gauge plug Z1 is completing each stroke, the voltage pulses from the magnetic pick up 65, through the left half of tube V2 and through tube V4, keep condenser C6 charged to a high enough voltage to prevent the tube V4 from conducting, but if a malformed bottle as, for example, one with a choked neck, prevents the gauge plug from reaching bottom of its stroke, the `armature 64 will not reach its operative position. As a result no voltage pulse will be generated and the condenser C6 will discharge to a low enough voltage to allow the right half of tube V2 to conduct enough voltage through resistor R7 to cause the tube V4 to conduct and energize relay 131 and thereby operate the ejector cylinder 25. While the defective bottle is being pushed oli the conveyor, the upstroke of the stroke gauge `57 restores the grid bias to the tube V4 before the reject switch 106 is opened, so that when the switch 106 is again closed the lrelay 131 remains d eenergized and the reject cylinder 2S returns to its normal position in readiness for ejecting the next defective bottle.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of our invention.

We claim:

l. Apparatus for testing articles, comprising a hon'- zontally disposed traveling conveyor by which the articles are brought seriatim to a testing station, a Ifeed worm extending along said conveyor in position to engage articles on the conveyor and control their forward movement, a base on which the feed worm is carried, said base being mounted for rotative movement about a vertically disposed axis for adjustably pivoting the feed worm transversely over said conveyor.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 including a motor mounted on said base, a worm shaft carrying the feed worm, and means providing driving connections between the motor and said shaft.

3. Apparatus for transporting articles to a gauging station, said `apparatus including a horizontally-disposed continuously traveling conveyor by which the -articles on the conveyor are brought in succession to a testing station, a feed worm, -a feed worm shaft, a base carrying said feed Worm and on which the shaft is -journalled for rotation, said feed worm extending along the path of the articles on the conveyor and comprising a spiral thread by which the forward movement of the articles is controlled and the articles uniformly spaced on the conveyor, a motor mounted on said base, and means providing driving connections between the motor and said shaft, said base being mounted for pivotal movement about, a vertically disposed axis for adjustably pivoting the feed worm transversely over said conveyor.

4. Apparatus for conveying articles to a testing station, comprising a feed worm having a spiral thread, means -for rotating the feed worm about its `axis and thereby controlling the forward movement of the articles, la stop element connected to the feed Worm at the forward end thereof and moved into and out of the path of the articles by the rotation of the feed worm, said stop element being positioned to momentarily arrest each article -at the testing station.

5. In an apparatus for gauging larticles in succession and segregating defective articles from those that pass the test, said apparatus including a gauging element at a gauging station, and automatic means for moving said `element to and from a gauging position as each anticle is brought to the gauging station, the improvement comprising a stroke gauge, armatures carried by the stroke gauge, an electromagnetic pick-up device, said stroke gauge being operatively connected for movement with the said gauging element, said armatures being moved respectively into proximity with the pick-up device as the stroke gauge completes its movements in opposite directions and device, an electron tube connected to receive said pulses,

` a thyratron, a first condenser, a second condenser, electrical connections by which voltage is transmitted from the said electron tube to the thyratron through the first condenser, thereby causing the thyratron to conduct and charge the second condenser, a second electron tube controlled by the voltage across the second condenser, a second thyratron controlled by the cathode voltage of said second electron tube, a relay comprising a winding in the plate circuit of said second thyratron, a normally closed switch in that circuit, an ejector for segregating defective articles, a motor connected to operate the ejector, means operated by the motor for momentarily opening said switch, and electromagnetic valves controlling the operati-on of said motor, said relay comprising switches in circuit with the windings of said electromagnetic valves.

6. The 'apparatus defined in claim 5, including means for preventing the tiring of said second thyratron when the stroke gauge is permitted to make a full normal stroke, said second ithyratron being operated when the movement of the gauging element and the stroke gauge are interrupted by a defective article.

7. Apparatus for transporting articles to a gauging station, said apparatus including a horizontally disposed continuously traveling conveyor by which the articles on the conveyor are brought in succession to a testing station, a feed worm, a feed worm shaft, a base carrying said feed worm and on which the shaft is journaled for rotation, said feed worm extending along the path of the articles on the conveyor and comprising a spiral thread by which the forward movement of the articles is` controlled and the articles uniformly spaced on the conveyor, a motor mounted on said base, and means providing driving connections between the motor and said shaft, said base being mounted for pivotal movement about a vertically disposed axis for adjustably pivoting the feed worm transversely over said conveyor, the driving connections between the motor and said shaft comprising stepped pulleys mounted respectively on said feed worm shaft and a drive shaft of the motor, and a driving belt connecting said pulleys, one of said pulleys being adjustable lengthwise on its shaft to permit adjustments of the driving belt for adjustably varying the speed ofthe feed Worm.

8. Article gauging 'apparatus comprising a feed worm controlling forward movement of the articles to a testing station, means for rotating Ithe feed worm, a gauging element mounted for up and down movement at said station, a piston motor operatively connected to the gauging element, means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the motor comprising a pressure tank, pressure lines extending from the tank to the motor, a rotatable cam mounted coaxially with the feed worm for rotation together, a cam follower held in running engagement on said cam, and valve means operated by movement of said cam follower radially with respect to said cam for controlling the supply of iiuid through said pressure lines.

9. Apparatus for gauging the neck openings of bottles or other articles, said apparatus including means for handling the articles by bringing them in succession to and through a gauging station, means at said gauging station for gauging the articles comprising a gauge plug, means for mounting said gauge plug for a normal vertical reciprocation thereof denn-ing fully extended and retracted positions with reference to Ithe neck opening of an article, automatic means for reciprocating said gauge plug through a normal cycle as each article is brought to the gauging station, means operable automatically at the start of each reciprocation of said gauge plug for generating a rst electric pulse, means for generating a second electric pulse during each reciprocation of said gauge plugresponsive to the latter reaching its fully extended position, an ejector mechanism operable for segregating defective articles while on the handling means, means connected to said ejector mechanism for initiating the operation thereof including an electro-magnetic relay having a coil, means kfor energizing the coil,` whereby the ejector mechanism is operated, control means interposed between said energizing means and said coil and normally permitting energizing the latter, said control means being electrically connected to receive said first and secondelectric pulses and responsive, respectively, to said first pulse which prevents energizing the coil for a first time interval and to said second pulse for a second time interval, said first time interval being less than the time for a normal cycle of reciprocation of the gauge plug and the sum of said first and sec- -ond time intervals being greater than the time for such cycle of reciprocation of said gauge plug, whereby failure of said second pulse being generated causes energization of said coil and initiation of operation of said eject mechanism.

l0. Article gauging apparatus comprising a piston motor including a piston rod, a gauging element mounted for reciprocation, means for supporting a bottle or like article in a gauging position with the neck openin g in register with the gauging element, said gauging element being mounted for free downward movement by gravity, means connected with the piston rod for lifting the gauging element to a retracted position when the piston is moved upwardly and permitting the gauging element to move downwardly through the neck opening of the article when the piston moves downward, an ejector mechanism openable for segregating defective articles, drive means connected to said mechanism to operate it, electro-responsive means controlling the drive means, an electronic detecting device connected to said last-named means to effect operation of said ejector mechanism when xa defective article prevents said gauging element from completing its downward movement which comprises a stroke gauge connected for movement with the gauging element, a magnetic pick-up device including a pick-up winding, two armatures carried by said stroke gauge, said armatures being movable, respectively, with relation to said pick-up device as the stroke gauge achieves full movements in opposite directions, to thereby induce electric pulses in said winding, an amplifier connected to receive said electric pulses, a grid-controlled, relaxation oscillator, a condenser, electrical means by which a voltage is transmitted from the amplifier to said oscillator thereby causing the latter .to conduct for a time and charge the condenser, a cathode follower that is controlled by the voltage across the condenser, and a thyratron connected tto normally conduct and controlled by the cathode voltage of said cathode follower to prevent its conducting, a relay having contacts in circuit with said electro-responsive means and having a winding in the plate circuit of the thyratron, and means operated by the ejector mechanism during segregating an article for momentarily breaking said plate circuit.

ll. Apparatus for gauging articles in succession and segregating defective articles from those that pass the test comprising a gauging element, means for mounting said element at a gauging station for vertical movement throughout a reciprocating stroke extending respectively, to and from a gauging position with respect to an article at said station, automatic means for reciprocating said element through successive said strokes as articles are presented at said station, means operable automatically at the start of each said stroke for generating an electric pulse, means for generating a second electric pulse during each said stroke responsive Ito the gauging element being permitted to make its full reciprocating stroke toward the article, an ejector mechanism operable for segregating defective articles, drive means connected to said mechanism to operate it, electro-responsive means controlling the drive means, land an electronic control for the electro` responsive means comprising an amplifier connected to receive said first and second electric pulses, a gridcontrolled, relaxation oscillator, a condenser, electricai means by which a voltage is transmitted from the amplifier to said oscillator thereby causing the latter to conduct for a time and charge the condenser, a cathode follower that is controlled by the voltage across the condenser, and a thyratron controlled by the cathode voltage of said cathode follower, a relay having contacts in circuit with said electro-responsive means and having 'a winding in the plate circuit of the thyratron, a normally closed switch in said plate circuit, and means actuated by the drive means when the latter is openatcd for momentarily opening said switch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS lOdqust et Ial Mar. 2, 1943 Darrak Sept. 3, 1946 lMcNutt et al May 13, 1952 Saylor Aug. 21, 1956 Day et al Oct. -30, 1956 

